Michael Portillo: Jacob Rees-Mogg offers what the public is crying out for

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With doubts about Theresa May’s leadership rising, talk has turned – once again – to who might replace her. Jacob Rees-Mogg has topped this month’s ConservativeHome leadership poll of members.

So, is Moggmentum what the public needs? That’s the suggestion made by Michael Portillo. Speaking on This Week, the Tory stalwart conceded that Rees-Mogg could have some of the answers:

AN: Jacob Rees-Mogg is now the bookies’ favourite and indeed in some internal Tory party polling is the favourite to succeed, what do you make of that?

MP: I make of it that he is now one of about five or six Tories that the public can name, and that because he is not in office he has the luxury of saying pretty much what he thinks, that he is clear cut and relatively charismatic and that he has ideas and that all of these things are what the public is crying out for. So I’m not surprised that this is his position.

However, Portillo stopped short of offering a personal endorsement – his money is still on Michael Gove.